1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an ice-cooled gravity dispensing system and in particular to such a system in which the ice can be used not only to cool the water and the syrup, but also as potable ice in the drink.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many locations where it is desired to dispense carbonated beverages, it is either impossible or undesirable to provide a mechanical refrigeration system run by electricity. Examples of such locations are ball parks, circuses, carnivals, large picnic or social gatherings, and a variety of other such situations at which limited usage does not warrant the installation of a full-scale mechanical refrigerating apparatus. In such locations, it is known to use ice-cooled dispensers in which the water and the syrup are cooled by the use of ice contained in an ice bin.
The two known types of ice-cooled dispensers are the pressurized dispensers and the gravity dispensers. A pressurized dispenser uses a figal containing the syrup and a CO.sub.2 tank for forcing the syrup from the figal through syrup tubes in an aluminum casting cold plate forming the ice bin which contains a quantity of ice to "flash cool" the syrup as well as carbonated water which also flows through separate cooling tubes embedded in the aluminum casting cold plate. The syrup cooling tubes have a maximum O.D. of 3/8 inch. Pressures of from about 10 to 40 psig are used to push the syrup through these syrup tubes. The ice in the ice bin of a pressurized dispenser can be used not only for cooling the syrup and the water but also as potable ice in the drink.
The other type of known ice-cooled dispenser is the ice-cooled gravity dispenser. The much smaller pressure available in a gravity dispenser (about a four inch head) is not sufficient to force the syrup through such cooling tubes with satisfactory flow rates, thus "flash cooling" has not been used. Instead, the syrup is cooled by positioning the syrup tanks directly in the ice bin and cooling the entire mass of syrup. In all of these known ice-cooled gravity dispensers, the syrup from one syrup tank is fed to a respective one of one or more dispensing valves at a constant flow rate controlled by a float mechanism located in each tank that maintains a constant level of syrup in that tank. The syrup tanks have always been located behind the front wall of the ice bin. The syrup flows down through an outlet in the bottom of the syrup tank directly to a dispenser valve. In all of these ice-cooled gravity dispensers due to the health requirements involved, in particular the risk of contamination of the cooling ice, the ice utilized for cooling the flavoring syrup and the carbonated or sweet water can not also be used as potable ice in the drink.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an ice-cooled gravity dispenser in which the cooling ice can also be used as the potable ice in the drink.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ice-cooled gravity dispenser having a syrup compartment completely separated from the ice bin, having oversized syrup tubes embedded in an aluminum casting cold plate wall of the ice bin, having a syrup compartment cover being movable only back and forth between a first position covering the syrup compartment opening and a second position covering the ice bin opening, and having means for preventing the syrup compartment cover from being removed from the housing and from moving to any other positions than said first and second positions, whereby access to the syrup compartment is provided only when the syrup compartment cover is in its second position covering the ice bin.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an ice-cooled gravity dispenser using flash cooling of the syrup.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for flash cooling using oversized syrup cooling tubes having an I.D. of from about 5/8 inch to about 11/4 inch, and preferably about 3/4 inch.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a cold plate that can be used to provide flash cooling in both a gravity dispenser and a pressurized dispenser.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus that eliminates the necessity of having to cool a large mass of syrup in a cooling tank which also allows flexibility in dispensing system conversions from gravity to pressure systems.